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Heinz C. Prechter 1942 - 2001 Heinz C. Prechter died Friday, July 6, 2001, in his Grosse Ile, Michigan, home. He was 59. In 1965 Prechter founded ASC Inc., a supplier to the worldwide automobile industry. Before the sale of Prechter Holdings, ASC was the flagship of a conglomerate of automotive, newspaper, real estate and investment companies with 60 facilities and 5,300 employees worldwide. Born in 1942 in Kleinhöbing, Germany, Mr. Prechter began his automotive career at the age of 13 as an apprentice in automotive trim, tool and die making, and coach and body building. After completing his studies at Berufs-Oberschule in Nuremberg, Mr. Prechter furthered his education at Nuremberg's OHM Polytechnic Engineering School. During his studies, Mr. Prechter gained a wide range of practical experience working for a number of German companies, including Faunwerke (a truck and military equipment supplier), Siemens (an electronics firm), and Deutz (a diesel engine manufacturer). In 1963, he came to the U.S. as an exchange student. While studying business administration and english at San Francisco State College, he began installing sunroofs – a virtually unknown product on this side of the Atlantic. Fifteen months later, in 1965, Mr. Prechter founded the American Sunroof Company (now ASC Incorporated) in Los Angeles. He spent $764 on tools, a workbench from an old door covered with aluminum and a sewing machine from a junkyard. This one-man enterprise soon became well-known for its "custom" sunroofs, as well as its creative approach to supporting the development of specialty customization for the film industry. Today, ASC Incorporated is a global specialty vehicle and systems company providing specialty vehicle design, engineering, prototype and production services; development and delivery of open-air systems, composite products and exterior trim; and development and distribution of aftermarket vehicle accessories. Headquartered in Southgate, Michigan, ASC maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and South Korea. In addition to ASC, Mr. Prechter founded Heritage Network Inc., a group of Michigan companies involved in the transportation, hospitality and communications industries. His Heritage Network group included a weekly newspaper chain (one of the largest in the state of Michigan), a real estate development company, and a beef cattle business. In early 1997, he created Prechter Holdings, which owned the ASC and Heritage businesses. Heinz Prechter was widely recognized for his entrepreneurial accomplishments, broad community involvement, and political achievements. He was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Harvard Business Club and received the Automotive Hall of Fame’s Automotive Industry Leader of the Year award. He sat on community and corporate boards, including those of Detroit Renaissance, Comerica Bank, and ThyssenKrupp’s Automotive Supervisory Board. In 2004, Heinz Prechter was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame. Mr. Prechter is survived by his wife and twin children. Education Polytechnic Engineering School (Nuremberg, Germany) and San Francisco State College. In addition, Mr. Prechter participated in seminars at Harvard Business School. He also attended the Young Presidents Organization's "Universities for Presidents", a comprehensive education program covering topical social, political and economic issues.
Government and Industry Service
Honors
Affiliations World Presidents Organization; Chief Executives Organization; Engineering Society of Detroit; American Society of Body Engineers; Society of Automotive Engineers; Society of Manufacturing Engineers; GMI Engineering and Management Institute, Automotive Hall of Fame; The Greater Detroit Interfaith Round Table; Vision 2000/SAE International; Center for Entrepreneurship (The President's Forum); Co-Chairman with Admiral Crowe of the World USO 50th Anniversary Celebration; the Detroit Renaissance's Project Development and Grand Prix Advisory Committees; the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest Inc.; the Michigan United Conservation Clubs; and the Board of Advisors, International Law Institute. Directorships In addition to presiding on the Board of his companies, Mr. Prechter served as a Director of The Budd Company; ThyssenKrupp Automotive; ANX eBusiness; Exide Corporation; Henry Ford Hospital; Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County; Comerica, Incorporated; Founding Chairman and Director of Automotive Supplier Co-Operative; Greater Detroit and Windsor Japan-America Society; United Way for Southeastern Michigan; Detroit Economic Growth Corporation; The Economic Club of Detroit; and Member of the National Board of the Smithsonian Institution. Mr. Prechter also served on the Advisory Council of Georgetown University; Henry Ford Community College Board of Directors and Board of Trustees; Eastern Michigan University's Center for Entrepreneurship Advisory Board; Wayne County Community College President's Advisory Council; the University of Michigan CAD/CAM Advisory Board; the Center for Creative Studies Board of Trustees; the U.S. Metric Association Advisory Board; the Board of Directors of the Michigan International Trade Coalition; the Board of Trustees for the George Bush Presidential Library Foundation; and the Dean’s Advisory Council at Boston University.
Community Involvement Detroit Heritage Fund; Business/Education Alliance; Greater Detroit Chamber of Commerce; Southern Wayne County Chamber of Commerce; Private Industry Council; Metropolitan Transit Development Committee; Detroit-Wayne County Port Authority; International Visitors Council of Metropolitan Detroit; Detroit Renaissance Board of Directors and member of the Cultural/Arts Funding Task Force; Madonna College; Henry Ford Health System; Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan; Wyandotte Hospital and Medical Center; Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Fund for the 21st Century; and Board of Advisors, Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Charitable Interests Vice-Chairman of the Edison Institute (Henry Ford Museum); The Hundred Club, Police and Fireman Survivors Aid; Kresge Eye Institute; Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Metro Detroit; Young Men's Club of Metro Detroit; United Foundation; Boy Scouts of America; Camp Fire-Detroit Area Council; Circle of Fellows, Michigan Cancer Foundation; Leukemia Society of America; Holocaust Memorial Center; Oakwood Hospital Foundation; United Way for Southeastern Michigan; and Chairman of the World Heritage Foundation. Pictorial - Remembering Heinz C. Prechter
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